Understanding Snape

[fair wynn]

No: HPFGUIDX 153465



>From: "againstsnape" >
>During HBP, the question of where Snape's loyalties lie is an important
>question. This question isn't answered by the end of the book. Here is
>my theory:
>
>1)  Snape was a Death-Eater until he knew that Voldemort was going to
>murder the Potters. At this point, I believe, as a result of his life
>debt to James, he either decided he had to warn DD, or else the life
>debt forced him to.
>
>2) Once he did this, he realized that he would have to explain to
>Voldemort why he went to DD. I believe, at this point, he decided that
>in order to survive, he woud have to live a double life - a spy on DD
>for Voldemort, and a spy on Voldemort for DD.
>
>3) Voldemort's downfall at the Potters' was good news for Snape - he
>would be able to live a single life, without having to worry about what
>the other side would do to him. At this position, he obviously would
>make Lupin his potion (which Lupin would later use as evidence that
>Snape is a good guy!).
>
>4) During GF, Snape and DD planned what Snape would do when Voldemort
>returned to power. DD believed that Snape would be a good guy` Snape
>resumes his double agent job.
>During the year, he was confronted by Karkaroff. Being good at
>Legilimency, he knew that Karkaroff was not going to join Voldemort, so
>he said that he will stay with DD.
>
>5) Snape saved DD after DD was hurt in the capture of the ring Horcrux,
>because he was worried that if he didn't, DD would live long enough to
>tell someone else about it. I think that Snape would have prefered that
>DD would die, as this would, in his opinion, be the beginning of the end
>of the forces against Voldemort.
>The unbreakable vow was also a necessity to convince Narcissa and
>Bellatrix that he is on their side. He probably knew every loophole in
>the vow he made, in order to not kill DD.
>
>6) At the end of HBP, he realized that his life as a double-agent has
>ended, so he took the side he thought was winning - Voldemort. He
>probably thought that once he killed DD, Voldemort's victory was a sure
>thing.
>
>I think that this explains all of Snape's actions duing the series.
>

Although there are many objections I could cite, the biggest and, in my 
opinion, most conclusive one is Snape on the night of the Ministry of Magic 
"fiasco" at the end of OOTP.

After Harry gave his cryptic message to Snape that Padfoot was in the place 
where it was hidden, one might easily argue that from any loyalty 
standpoint, Snape had to check out that message or appear to be undermining 
the Order.  So it would be possible for Snape to not be loyal to Dumbledore 
and the Order, and yet still have contacted Sirius at Grimmauld Place, to 
ascertain that Sirius was there, and be done with it.

However, Dumbledore told told Harry that some time after his first contact 
to see if Sirius was at #12 GP, Snape contacted the Order again.  At that 
time, 4 Order members were there.  Snape told them that he was concerned 
that Harry and Co. might have gone to the Ministry.  He sent the Order to 
the Ministry of Magic, as well as telling Sirius to stay put at #12 GP and 
alert Dumbledore to go to the Ministry of Magic also.

Since everyone was aware that Dumbledore was the "only one he ever feared," 
this was an action that could only be BAD for Voldemort.  There's no way 
that Snape's action in alerting the Order and Dumbledore to go to the 
Ministry could be anything other than an action to thwart Voldemort's goal 
of getting the prophecy and harming Harry.

It would have been very easy to excuse Snape for never contacting the Order 
the second time.  Why should he suspect that Harry had gone to the Ministry 
?  Unless, of course, he was thinking "out of the box" and wanted to gaurd 
Harry against the chance that he'd gone there.  The last time he'd known 
where Harry went was when Harry and Hermione went with Umbridge into the 
forest.  Since Umbridge had not returned, there was every reason to believe 
that they were all three still there.  Further, there was no way that anyone 
would normally consider for Harry and Co. to get to the Ministry.  The floo 
network was watched.  Brooms were locked up.  Harry couldn't apparate.  He 
couldn't take the train.  The only reason they were able to go was the odd 
chance that Harry and Hermione had blood on their clothes, thus attracting 
the thestrals.  It would have been easy for Snape to say later that he 
couldn't imagine Harry ever getting outside of the general Hogwarts, 
Hogsmead, Forest locale.

Further, during Dumbledore's conversation with Harry, later that night, when 
he tells Harry about Snape's actions, he also made clear to Harry that Snape 
had passed along to him all of the information from visions that Snape had 
seen in Harry's head during occlumency lessons.  That means that information 
about Voldemorts attempts to get the prophecy and his attempts to use Harry, 
were being passed on to Dumbledore.

Although there are many other actions that Snape takes that show his 
likelihood of being on the Order's side, his actions at the end of OOTP have 
really no other explanation than that he was supporting Dumbledore.

wynnleaf  (I'm new here - generally post on the Lexicon Forum)